Will Java replace ABAP in the future?
Do you think Java will replace ABAP in the future? Of course, SAP says that ABAP is a fourth-generation language. What are your thoughts on this?

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A few years ago, my answer would have been yes. But today I believe that ABAP will continue to be developed for a good few years yet -- it will continue to be the language of choice for R/3, CRM, etc. So where ABAP is currently being heavily used, it will continue. However, new products, like those belonging to the NetWeaver suite, will use Java.

Java will, in my opinion, become more important as a SAP development environment over the next few years, overtaking the importance of ABAP, but not replacing it. My advice to any ABAP developer is to learn Java. This will give you the leverage to use ABAP Objects properly. With Java and ABAP Objects you'll be equipped to do most SAP development well into the future.

This was first published in November 2005